Um…maybe you should wait
Someone asked me today about having a baby in terms of child care and raising a baby without family around. I’m not sure she was expecting my answer. Actually I was surprised how I answered her question.
It’s not really a secret that I’ve wanted a baby since probably I could have had a baby. I also wanted to make sure that I was ready. I explained to the gal that it’s not something to take lightly. It’s not all chubby cheeks and cute clothes. It’s a decision that you must make sure that you are ready for. There really isn’t any returns.
She was concerned with the price of child care and not having her family close. I explained that quality care runs 60-80 a day. We pay roughly 8 dollars an hour for Nolan’s care. It’s also paid via tuition. We pay whether we have Nolan there or not. We are paying for care, but we are also keeping his spot. Of course, we are also paying for low infant to teacher ratio and college educated teachers. I also shared that when he is sick, there isn’t anyone else but Tyler and me. I didn’t want to come off as giving the reasons not to have a child, but I felt compelled to give an honest picture of what it was like.
Nobody really shares the not so glamourous part of being a parent. Sure it’s joked about but there are so many “never thought I’d do this” moments that it’s worth sharing.
I’m not sure how serious she was about having a baby or whether she was just mildly curious, but my only real advice was to make sure you are ready. Of course, you are never really ready and it never happens the way you think it will, but since she was on the fence, I suggested maybe she should give it more thought.
This coming from the person who waited almost 8 years to get married. Choosing to become a parent doesn’t seem like something you just wing. Now after becoming a parent, I feel like I’m winging it half the time!
